bestseller

noun

best·​sell·​er ˈbes(t)-ˈse-lər How to pronounce bestseller (audio)
variants or best seller
plural bestsellers or best sellers
: a popular product and especially a book whose sales are among the highest of its class
[Isabel] Allende's new book is spun from the stuff of epic romances: eternal love, lost innocence, distant locales, revolution. In short, all the elements of a sure bestseller.Julie K. L. Dam
The Harvard Book Store Café … is not only the obvious choice for the latest best seller but the intelligent break for a shopper's graze.Alice Rubenstein Gochman
Two million copies have been sold, and it has been on the New York Times bestseller list for four years.Judith Daniels
… the two Fisher-Price bestsellers are the company's Fun with Food [toy] series and the Fisher-Price Fun with Food Kitchen.The New Yorker
She knows what the mass market wants—Vanderbilt and Chaps [fragrances] are best sellers—and she has a flair for what appeals to a more specialized market …Amy Singer
best-sellerdom noun
best-selling adjective

Examples of bestseller in a Sentence

She has written several best sellers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Director Mary Harron and screenwriter Guinevere Turner bring a fresh female sensibility to their adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' controversial bestseller, about a Wall Street investment banker named Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) who moonlights as a deranged serial killer. Katie Rife, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025 However, the flaky, buttery croissants — traditional, chocolate, almond and ham-and-cheese — are the bestsellers that receive raves every morning. Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025 Datskovska regularly reports on trending beauty bestsellers worth readers’ time and money. Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 29 Oct. 2025 Among a flurry of nationalistic musings was an obscure academic named George Grant who scored a surprise bestseller in 1965’s Lament for a Nation. Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025 Dieux’s bestseller eye masks, designed—as their name suggests—to be used in perpetuity, are made of 100% silicone gel to be used with your eye serum or cream of choice. Jenny Berg, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025 Amusingly, it was based on his father's bestsellers. Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025 Ranked our best mid-plush pillow, this has long been a bestseller among AD fans and Amazon customers alike. Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2025 For men, the Cody James Wyatt jean is a bestseller, given its durability as well as stretch that works for everyday or on the ranch. Catherine Salfino, Sourcing Journal, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bestseller was in 1864

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Cite this Entry

“Bestseller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bestseller. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

best-seller

noun
best-sell·​er
ˈbes(t)-ˈsel-ər
: an article (as a book) whose sales are among the highest of its kind
best-selling
-ˈsel-iŋ
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on bestseller

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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